ST. LOUIS – A Canadian man admitted in federal court Friday to defrauding a clerk out of thousands of dollars in cash. It was part of a nationwide “sleight of hand” scheme that hit 13 states this year. We caught up with him here in the St. Louis area.
The Arnold Police Department has recently been successful in busting at least two international criminal organizations, particularly retail crimes occurring right under our noses.
For example, 38-year-old Mohsen Akbari was sued in federal court. Kyle Bateman, the assistant U.S. attorney who handled the case, said: He was very good at what he did. ”
Police said the suspects primarily targeted Walmart stores and used tricks to steal cash. Court records show he made more than $16,000 in four days in June of this year.
In court on Friday, the defendant admitted he wired money to his native Canada, which totaled $109,452 in just six months this year, according to court records across the country.
Akbari took to the podium in rattling shackles, speaking to the judge in his native Persian through an interpreter.
Akbari has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, which could carry a combined sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
“This was a very unusual case, and it was also a very difficult case,” said Attorney Bateman. “We were very pleased to have state and local federal investigators working diligently on this matter. ”
He said the incident was unusual because neither police nor the Walmart store were initially able to identify Akbari until Arnold police’s facial recognition software matched it with surveillance footage from The Canadian Press.
Once his name was discovered, Eureka police helped track him down, as did Homeland Security Investigations, and officers arrested him in Connecticut. Mr. Akbari is scheduled to be sentenced in March next year.